Daily Devotions for Caregivers

I'm sitting here crying for someone I do not know... Their story just came across my feed... An accident, an injury, a brain bleed... Terms I know too well on a path I've traveled too long.. My heart hurts and I don't even know their name... I'm crying with parents, loved ones and friends... Knowing that the pain and grief never ends... Now I'm praying for someone I don't even know... never knew before... My eyes turn loose of tears I'd held in from my own pain... As I remember the early parts of my own journey... I know what they can endure - what they may face... Those long days of hoping, praying, believing... Long nights just watching them keep breathing... Don't stop.... please don't stop... Then there's the waiting... Dark nights, warm tears, terrible coffee... Uncertainty abounds - so many ifs... If there's a future what does it look like now? If dreams are still valid... If there's life after this... If ...

Did you ever read a scripture and find it upsetting instead of comforting? I do sometimes but given enough time I can work back through to peace! lol!  I was reading through Psalm 112 this morning and came across a frustrating verse; actually, two of them in the same psalm! Verse 4 and 6 stuck out to me and my first response was to whine. (I know I am the only one who ever does that!) Actually verse7 caught my eye first: They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them. My first thought was I got bad news ...that's how I became a caregiver.  But after I read through the entire psalm a time or two my thinking finally balanced out somewhat. First of all, it does not say they won't ever get  bad news...but that there is no fear in the bad news. And that is followed up by the act of confidently trusting the Lord...even after bad news. It's a matter of trusting Him through whatever life may bring...not avoiding anything we perceive as bad. ...